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Federal Direct Parent PLUS Loans

For: All parents of dependent undergraduates regardless of income. Qualification is based solely on good credit. There are no debt-to-income ratio guidelines or employment verification requirements.

Loan Amounts: Parents may borrow up to the total education cost for the year, minus any other financial aid that the student is receiving. The total education cost can include tuition and fees, room and board, books and supplies, transportation, and living allowance.

Interest Rate: The interest rate for Direct PLUS Loans is first disbursed on or after July 1, 2013 through June 30, 2014 , the interest rate is fixed at 6.41% with interest beginning to accrue upon disbursement until it is repaid in full. The interest rate for Parent PLUS loans disbursed on or after July 1, 2014 through June 30, 2015 is fixed at 7.21%, with interest beginning to accrue upon disbursement until it is repaid in full.

Federal Direct Parent PLUS loans disbursed on or after December 1, 2013 through September 30, 2014 have a 4.288% origination fee. Federal Direct Parent PLUS loans disbursed on or after October 1, 2014 through November 30, 2015 have a 4.292% origination fee.

Process

The student completes the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) at http://www.fafsa.gov/ if one has not been submitted for the current year.

The Office of Financial Aid receives the Direct Parent PLUS MPN and the approved/endorsed Parent PLUS Loan Record from the US Department of Education and adds the Parent PLUS award to myFinAid.

The student goes to myFinAid to accept, reduce, or decline the Parent PLUS award amount.

If the student is registered and all official transcripts are on file with the Office of Admissions, the Office of Financial Aid sends a Direct Parent PLUS Loan origination record to the Department of Education.

Decisions

The Department of Education is responsible for all Parent PLUS Loan credit decisions. Parent PLUS Loan borrowers are required to pass a simplified credit check, meaning that the Department of Education is not looking for a certain credit score or for an extensive credit history but simply the absence of an adverse credit history. Students can view the status of their parents’ application by logging in to www.studentloans.gov or by calling Federal Direct Loans at 1-800-848-0979.

The following will cause a Parent PLUS Loan to be denied:

A current delinquency of 90 days or more; this includes unpaid collection accounts and charge-offs.

Default in the past five years.

Defaulted loan that has been claim paid.

Chapter 7, 11, or 12 bankruptcy (Chapter 13 is OK) in the past five years.

Discharge in the past five years.

Foreclosure in the past five years.

Foreclosure proceedings started.

Deed in lieu of foreclosure.

Lease or contract terminated by default.

Repossession in the past five years.

Tax lien (county, state, or federal) in the past five years.

Wage garnishment in the past five years.

Voluntary surrender in the past five years.

Write-off of Title IV debt in the past five years.

Parents will receive an immediate approval or denial of their application upon electronic completion as well as the loan reference number, which is needed if the parent wishes to pursue an endorser. The Walden University Office of Financial Aid will be notified electronically of the credit decision only if the application was completed electronically. Applications are not approved or denied based on the dollar amount requested; therefore, parents should not complete additional applications once a denial is rendered by the Department of Education. Credit decisions are held for 90 days. Once the loan application is denied, the parent must either find an endorser or appeal the credit decision.

The Office of Financial Aid has no control over or influence on the credit decision rendered by the Department of Education. Any and all correspondence regarding credit appeals and endorsers must be sent to the Department of Education.

Approval for the Parent PLUS loan is loan specific. It is possible to be approved for one loan and denied at a later date for a new loan. Denied parents still have two options to obtain the Parent PLUS Loan:

Review their credit report (which can be done for free at http://www.annualcreditreport.com/) for possible errors and correct them before appealing directly to the Department of Education.

Find a creditworthy endorser to co-sign for the loan. This endorser will then be responsible for the loan should the parent default on it at any point during the life of the loan.

Endorsing a Parent PLUS Loan

Steps to be taken by the endorser (these must be completed electronically; paper addenda will not be accepted):

Sign up for a Federal Student Aid personal identification number (PIN) at http://pin.ed.gov/. A PIN is required to electronically sign the endorser addendum.

Click on “Endorse Direct PLUS Loan” (fourth link down, in the center of the page).

Enter the Loan Reference Number (provided by parent borrower) and follow the instructions.

Accept or reduce the Parent PLUS Loan amount. This will need to be done prior to the record being sent for certification.

Disbursement

Usually done in three equal amounts at the beginning of each semester/quarter and sent directly to the university. A federal origination fee may be deducted from the proceeds.

Repayment

PLUS loan repayment normally begins within 60 calendar days after the loan has been fully disbursed. In certain circumstances, parents may elect to repay the loan on a graduated repayment schedule, making interest-only payments (minimum is based on term of the loan, but at least $50 per month) for a portion of the repayment term.

Do you have questions about financial aid? If you haven’t yet applied to Walden, please contact an enrollment advisor at 1-866-492-5336 in the United States. If you are a current student, please contact a financial aid advisor at finaid@waldenu.edu or call 1-800-WALDENU (1-800-925-3368).